The plague has hit!

Okay, not really. But it sure feels like it!!

We had a great time in Nashville, despite the fact that Jill didn’t win the Showdown. We were very disappointed that she didn’t win, but it was so cool watching and participating in the filming. We got to see more of Nashville than you’d think, considering we were only there for 2 days. Actually, it wasn’t even 2 days. It was a VERY long drive (8hrs both ways) but it was good to have some time with Jaben. He loves staying in hotels, and he got to have the continental breakfast for the first time, which he really enjoyed. He got to make his own waffle! LOL! And as we were heading back to our room to pack he said, “Mom? Did you pay for that??” I had to giggle… I guess when I told him about the hotel breakfast, I neglected to tell him it was included!!

I’ll have to get some of our pictures scanned. Many, MANY are of Jaben’s thumb (forgot the digital, bought a disposable) but a couple came out nice.

Anyway, the plague. Yeah, we’ve got it. This awful flu bug/virus thing that’s been going on has hit with a vengeance!! When we got home Friday evening, Kyan had just thrown up all over the living room – and on Grandma! He was sick all Saturday and Sunday. Monday he seemed a lot better, but when he got home from the babysitters, Grandma let him have some milk and he threw up again. Ew.

By the time I got home from work Monday, I felt kind of nauseous too, and as the evening went on it got worse and worse. I was up most of the night that night. ‘Nuff said. So Kyan and I stayed home Tuesday and vegged. We did go see the doctor since Kyan threw up everything I managed to get him to eat – again – and I was getting worried. I already knew there was nothing that could be done, but at least the Dr. is aware of how sick he is. He’s lost weight, and he doesn’t have much to lose! We’re going to give him a couple more days and if he’s not doing better I have to call back. I think he’ll be better… he ate last night. Apparently it all came out in his diaper, but he tried.

As for me, I’ll live. The Dr. gave me an anti-nausea pill, but it just knocked me out. I’ll get thru the rest of this without it. That’s why I say “apparently” everything Ky ate came back out… I passed out around 7 and staggered to my bed around 11… that’s all I remember. Grandma (God bless Grandma!!) took care of him and Jaben and cleaned him up. I HAD to come to work today, and surprisingly don’t feel * too * bad. My stomach is making some funky noises and the muscle aches persist, but I can’t complain. Especially since my poor baby has been fighting this for so long!

Hopefully we’ll all be back to 100% by the weekend. I’m going to need to borrow a carpet cleaner tho. I mean seriously… a vomiting 2-yr old does * nothing * for the floors!!

Let the kids do it!

Last night Jaben's Cub Scout troop had a cake auction to raise money. I thought it was a great idea! The boys were supposed to make as much of the cake as they could themselves - from mixing and baking to frosting. They were to come up with the concept and design themselves and DO IT. They had prizes in different categories and I know Jaben was really excited about that idea.

Being the kind of mom that I am, we followed the rules. All I did was watch to make sure it didn't burn or overbake, and take it from the oven. That's it. He did a fooball theme, and I thought it looked pretty good for a cake made by a 10-yr old. I don't get home from work early enough to take him, so my mom dropped him and his cake off, and Kyan and I got there about halfway thru the auction.

I was very, very disappointed by what I saw. Easily half of these cakes were NOT made by children. There was a dirt cake made in a flowerpot, one made to look like a banana split, and another that looked like a real hamburger and fries! *I* couldn't make a cake that looked that good, I don't believe for a second that a boy 11 and under made those cakes. Not only is that *not fair* to the kids who actually made their own cakes and followed the rules, but what did they learn from this? The ones whose parents made their cakes learned that it's okay to be dishonest as long as you win. And the ones who did it on their own learned that following the rules doesn't get you anywhere. Of course the parent-made cakes won in all categories.

Since this was Cub Scouts (all about honesty and building the leaders of tomorrow, y'know) I kind of expected someone to say something. I would have expected the cakes obviously made by children to win - on principle if nothing else. But -- since the super-cakes brought in huge amounts (I actually saw a cake sell for $75 last night!) I guess they thought it was worth it in the end.

I'm pretty disgusted tho. My kid was one who followed the rules, did a damn good job on his cake, and got screwed over by dishonest, overly-involved parents. Nice lesson.

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We're leaving at 6am tomorrow to drive to Nashville to watch Jill James (hopefully) win the Colgate Country Showdown. Will be absent for a few days (not that this is unusual for me), please send safe trip vibes and prayers that all will go well!

January 22, 2005, 2:05 am….

That’s when you came into the world. You’d already been a huge part of our lives before then, from the moment the test told us you existed, through all of the morning sickness, the first time your big brother saw your little foot kicking Mommy’s tummy, you were there. You were real.

And now you’ve been with us – here – for 2 whole years! It’s amazing how fast that went by! And what an awesome little boy you are!! Headstrong, so sure of yourself – making sure you get your fair share of everything… you refuse to settle for second. You require tons of attention, but it’s only because you love us. I love hearing you call your big brother’s name, “Day-bin… Day-bin!!” when you want him to watch you do something. You love to wash your hair and have him come in to see you do it. You want to play all his games with him, to be included. In your eyes, the worst thing ever is to be treated like the “little brother” when you want to be one of the “big kids.” You give the best hugs and kisses, always adding and extra “rrrrugh” when you hug so we know you’ve hugged your hardest!! You still give open-mouth baby kisses, and sweet, slobbery zerberts… but I love them! One day soon you’ll stop and give regular dry kisses and I know I will miss those baby smoochies. I hope you wait a while for that.

What a beautiful little boy you are! Big brown eyes, sweet smile and dimples to die for! One day you’ll get so tired of hearing old ladies (and young ones!) everywhere we go exclaiming “Oh look at those dimples!!” and giggling. Even at 2 you’re an accomplished lady killer! You already know the power that sweet smile of yours holds, and you’re beginning to figure out how to use it.

Every day you’re learning and growing. One day you’ll count to 10, skipping 6, 7 & 8, and the next day all the numbers will be there. You’re talking so well now too! You remember to use full sentences some of the time, and even if Mommy is the only one who can understand them I still know you can do it. You’re learning new words every day, doing more things, and showing who you are and what a wonderful, strong, smart little guy you are. I can’t wait to know all about who you are – because so far I think you’re a pretty great kid and I just know you’ve got more secrets hidden you haven’t shown me yet.

Happy Second Birthday, Kyan! Mommy loves you so much and I am so glad you’re my little boy!

In ten and a half years of being a mom…

I have never had to clean poop out of the bathtub.

Until last night.

Ew.

I did it! I did it!!

Aren't you so proud of me?? I finally updated the blogroll! I was also considering a template change because I'm deathly sick of the pink... but that can wait. I want to look into that custom template thing first. Anyway, take the time to peruse the new blogroll! There are some new links, as well as some old ones that have been removed, one blog had a name change, so that has been updated... well, just go look. They're all good, I promise! And if any of the links don't work, gimme a holler. Hopefully the ones I added without asking are okay... if someone wants their blog removed, as always just let me know.

On the home front, it's official that Kyan is a clumsy as the rest of us. In the past 2 days he has run full speed into a doorframe and gave himself a bloody nose (that was fun, lemme tell ya) and this morning he was pouting (I’ve no idea why – he’s 2) and bumped his own head into the wall.

* sigh *

I’d really hoped the clumsy gene would take longer to kick in, but obviously I’m going to have to keep a close eye on doppy boy #2. Let’s see… Jaben held out until he was 4 to break his first bone… any bets on how far Kyan will make it?

POOPY ON THE POTTY!!

YES!!!! Kyan went poopy on the potty for the first time this morning!!! We were watching tv while Jaben was packing his stuff up for school and he said, "Mommy, poopy." So I checked him and he hadn't gone so I asked him if he had to go and he said he did...

So, I put him on and a few minutes later -- HE WENT!! I am soooooooooo proud of him!! He's been "ready" for a while and loves to sit on his potty, but he hadn't gone but once when he peed. YAY FOR KYAN!!! Pleeeease let this be the beginning of the end of diapers!

*dances* Poopy on the pot-tay! Poopy on the pot-tay!

Bloggy de-lurking week!!!!!

It's all over the place, y'know. You've seen it. It's bloggy de-lurking week!! I know you come by, I just don't know who ya are! So... leave a comment and come out of lurkerdom!!!

Hodgepodge

I’ve got all this stuff to talk about today! One thing I have to just say outright… Kyan has gotten so damn cute lately! I’ve got to post pics soon… Looks just like Jaben at that age!

Oh, also, haven’t updated the blogroll yet – I’m lazy like that. But I will. Some links are outdated and some blogs are no longer updated so I will try to get to that this weekend. Thank you to the two who responded. Apparently nobody else loves me.

There’s a lot I want to write about but I’m not sure how far I’ll get. First, I’m sure you’ve heard about this thing with schools sending home BMI reports to parents. If not, clink here.

Now, I have 2 feelings on this. One… it’s good that the schools are taking an interest in the health of the kids. Obesity in this country is outrageous and we definitely need to do something about it. But the stronger feeling is more one of WTH??? What do they think this will do to self esteem and self image? Kids with a bit of pudge may well take this too seriously and develop eating disorders, kids already tease each other – we ALL know kids are cruel – so why give them more ammunition? And what about the schools responsibility? My son doesn’t even have PE class right now. They only get that one quarter of the year, and recess is only part of lunch… so they get pretty much no exercise throughout the day. And the lunch menu? Yikes. This is Jabe’s schools lunch menu for this week:


Monday: Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, Apricots, Bread N Butter, Milk

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Pears, Peas, Bread Stick, Milk

Wednesday: Hot Dog, Baked Beans, Pears, Snicker Doodle Cookie, Milk

Thursday: French Toast, Syrup, Sausage Patty, Hash Brown Potato,
Applesauce cup, Milk

Friday: Pizza, Corn, Fruit Cocktail, Chocolate Cake, Milk

I copied this right off their website, so I know this is what’s being served. I hope other schools are doing better, but with a lunch menu like this, almost no recess, no PE classes 3/4 of the year our schools at least have little to no room to be sending out BMI notices to parents. They haven’t, and I would certainly hope they wouldn’t. We don’t eat all that healthfully at our home, but we certainly eat better than that. I’m afraid this kind of menu is the norm at US schools… which, along with the decrease in recess and PE definitely contributes to the increase in childhood obesity. I don’t know how to fix it, but I do know that sending BMI reports home with kids isn’t the answer.

Moving on, can I just say that Angelina Jolee is a moron? Clink here to see why I’d say that. I mean really, what kind of mother says that kind of thing about her own child?? I never really liked her to begin with – she’s shown herself to be dumb as a box of rocks, her work with impoverished children notwithstanding, she just bugs the hell out of me. I hope to God that little girl never reads what her mother said about her. That’s just wrong on so many levels.

Last… did you see that king George will be addressing the nation tonight? Something about sending more troops to Iraq? Who elected this guy anyway?? Posting this will probably get me on some kind of list, but I don’t really care… the guy is a dangerous moron and I really can’t wait until he’s out of office. I beg you, Democrats, please, please nominate someone with brains, compassion and understanding of the American people next time around!! We need someone who will take steps to fix this mess! A big job to take on, sure, but imagine… anyone who can begin the daunting task of reversing little Georgie’s 8 yrs in office could potentially come out looking like one of the greatest Presidents in history! I think I’ll probably watch him on TV tonight… if for no other reason than to try to figure out what the hell. Agree with me, disagree… it’s only one person’s opinion. Of course if you check his approval rating you might find that I fall within the majority, but still… just my opinion.

Ooh! Found a cute one on my computer….. enjoy!

A poem

Last night, Jaben and I were sitting in the living room (Kyan was in bed like a good little boy - yay Ky!). Jabe was messing around in his sketchbook and I thought he was drawing. He stood in front of the chair I was in and asked me if I wanted to hear the poem he just wrote, so of course I said sure. I loved this poem! It's pretty cute and not too bad for a 10-yr old, but the ending made me laugh out loud. It might not be as cute without Jaben reading it (you've got to hear the inflection in his voice), but here it is, posted with permission...

Lunch
By Jaben

Sometimes school lunches are good
but sometimes it's gross
like uncooked bread with uncooked cheese inside.
And chili with rock beans in it.
Also, the corn dogs have real weiner dogs in it!
Lastly, the hot dog buns are made of wood.
So four days each month I pack for lunch!

I know, I know, it's not genious. But tell me that's not cute!!

2 things, real quick

I'm hoping to update my ridiculously out-dated blogroll real soon, so if you read regularly and have a blog, and would like your blog to be included, please comment and let me know and I'll put you on! I do ask, however, that you add me to your blogroll as well. Thanx!!

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One thing I’ve needed to do for a while is send out an apology. I can’t imagine the person for whom it’s intended will ever see it, but I feel it’s necessary. I had a “secret” blog before I started this one. Not secret in that NOBODY knew about it, but secret in that nobody I knew IRL knew about it. And don’t bother looking, you won’t find it. But anyway, there was a post on there in which I said some pretty nasty things about a woman who hangs on a message board I used to post at. I don’t go there anymore for my own reasons, which have nothing to do with this particular person, but I know that she does. Anyway, I basically called her a train wreck and not any kind of person to look up to or idolize. And I wasn’t nice about it, or apologetic and it was absolutely uncalled for and unnecessary and I have no excuses for it. But the thing is, I was wrong. Not only for saying it (or even thinking it, for that matter), but just generally wrong about her. She hasn’t had the easiest time lately, having endured unimaginable personal tragedy and not only come through it, but seems to be doing amazing. That’s inspirational. That’s something to look up to, that’s strength of character and shows who she really is. Maybe she’s made choices in her life that I don’t necessarily agree with, but it’s not my life, my choices, or my place to judge. I prefer to think I’m a better person than someone who would be so judgmental, but I’m not, any more than anyone else is. What I said was mean and nasty and I am genuinely sorry for it. And (not that she’ll ever see this, but that’s not the point) I hope that the person I’m referring to knows how amazing she’s been, and how strong during the past months. And if by some odd chance of internet connections, she sees this, I’d like her to know that I really do feel awful about what I said and that I hope she can accept this as an apology.

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Mmkay, that's about it. Don't forget to let me know if you'd like to be included in the upcoming new and improved blogroll!